Ceremony Ideas

25 Ways to Personalize Your Wedding Ceremony

wedding time capsule.

Who says your reception is the only fun part of your wedding day? There’s no reason why your ceremony shouldn’t be as exciting, meaningful, and inventive as your reception. Our wedding experts have advice on how to personalize your “I dos”—from a pre-ceremony slideshow to a wedding time capsule.

Have a Drink

Start the celebration as soon as guests arrive by throwing a short (no more than an hour) pre-ceremony cocktail party. It will give everyone a chance to mingle and ensure that even your chronically late college roommate will get there in time for the main event. Keep it simple by serving a festive cocktail or two and a small treat like artisanal popcorn in paper cones. As for whether you choose to make a special guest appearance yourself—possibly in another cute white outfit—that’s up to you.

Thank Your Guests

Make guests feel welcome from the moment they arrive by writing them personal notes and leaving them at the ceremony entrance, recommendsEli Events. Another plus: By giving cards, you can skip the receiving line, giving you more time for photos and the reception.

Choose a Calli-graphed Runner

Ask a calligrapher—or a friend with good penmanship—to emblazon your aisle runner with something personal, using chalk or fabric paint (a line from a favorite poem, perhaps). Or you can have a custom runner created just for you

Gather ‘Round Your Guests

Provide a Passage to Read Out Loud

Make a Time Capsule

Before the wedding, write a letter to your groom. (He should do the same for you.) During the ceremony, put the notes and a bottle of wine in a box and take turns hammering it shut. Open it on your 10th anniversary!

Write Mad Lib Vows!

Water a Plant

Another ritual to try: Add a scoop of soil from each of your hometowns to a small potted tree, then water it together to symbolize the merging of your two lives. (You can plant it when you get home from the honeymoon.)

Lead the Way to the Reception

Throw Them a Twist

Nix the tossed rice and have guests wave ribbon wands or colorful paper pinwheels as you exit the ceremony. Or place party-store tambourines, kazoos, and other noisemakers on seats so guests can jam while you walk out.